The best corporations can
be severely damaged by
one violation of corporate integrity. Refuse to
compromise on company ethics. Take action.

6

Realize that powerful
people also make
mistakes. Don’t say,
“I am amazed that someone
at this level...”

It is realistic to expect
decision-makers to be
competent; it is unrealistic to expect them to
be anything other than normal human beings.
Focus more on helping them than judging them.

7

Don’t be disrespectful

While it is important
to avoid kissing up to
decision-makers, it is just
as important to avoid the
opposite reaction. Before
speaking, it is generally
good to ask one question from four perspectives.
Will this comment help 1) our company 2) our
customers 3) the person I am talking to, and 4)
the person I am talking about? If the answers are
no, no, no and no, don’t say it!

8

Support the final
decision

Treat decision-makers
the same way that you would
want to be treated. If you stab
that person in the back in
front of your direct reports,
what are you teaching them to do when they
disagree with you?

9

Make a positive
difference – don’t just
try to ‘win’ or ‘be right’

We can easily become more
focused on what others are
doing wrong than on how
we can make things better.
An important guideline in influencing up is to
always remember your goal: making a positive
difference for the organization. The more other
people can be ‘right’ or ‘win’ with your idea, the
more likely your idea will be executed.

10

Focus on the future
– let go of the past

One of the most
important behaviours to
avoid is whining about the
past. Have you ever managed
someone who incessantly
whined about how bad things are? Nobody wins.
Successful people love getting ideas aimed at
helping them achieve their goals for the future.
By focusing on the future, you can concentrate
on what can be achieved tomorrow, not what
was not achieved yesterday.

The crowning glory

Now, think of the years that you have spent
‘perfecting your craft’. Think of all of the
knowledge that you have accumulated. Think
about how your knowledge can potentially
benefit your organization. How much energy
have you invested in acquiring all of this
knowledge? How much energy have you
invested in learning to present this knowledge
to decision-makers so that you can make a real
difference? My hope is that by making a small
investment in learning to influence decisionmakers, you can make a large, positive difference
to the future of your organization.
— Marshall Goldsmith is a world-renowned executive
leadership coach, speaker and writer
Q3 2017 Dialogue